Raymond Castellon Pays Tribute To His Afro-Caribbean Roots With ‘Negra’

Raymond Castellon kicked off his music career like every aspiring artist—at a very young age and nothing but passion for the arts running through his veins. His first taste of the music industry was when he joined a boy band in Puerto Rico called Ilusión. But it wasn’t until he formed part of Unico that many doors opened for him. As part of the duo that was signed by Sony, Castellon released four studio albums, toured the world, and even recorded a song with renowned Mexican diva, Yuri.

In 2004, Castellon, half Dominican, half Puerto Rican, embarked his solo career. Since, he’s released four studio albums under his name, including Campo Urbano with EMI. His mission? To share his Afro-Caribbean roots with the world through music.

“My culture inspires my music over everything,” he told Pulso POP. “I’m a man from the caribbean, the Afro-Caribbean rhythm, the caribbean women, inspire me a lot. Those are the elements that will always be a part of my music. My music is a mix of pop, urban, and tropical. It describes my culture, it’s where I’m from,” he added.

A perfect example can be seen in his latest single, Negra, a song that pays tribute to a popular nickname used in the islands. Its music video was filmed in Cuba.

“Cuba’s architecture reminds me a lot of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. I’ve always wanted to film a video there,” he said. “I’ve recorded other videos there, but I found the perfect model for my video there and the opportunity was there. It wasn’t planned, it was natural. Cuba is a magical place, where a lot of my friends live.”

Castellon, who strives to one day record with the iconic bachata crooner Juan Luis Guerra, hopes to continue making a name for himself in 2018. One of his biggest projects is his TV show called El VIP de Raymond Castellon, which is seen in Latin America.

“Also, my new single is on the way, called ‘Todo Sigue Igual,'” he said, in addition to his audio visual studio, VIP Studio Boutique, where he hosts private events and offers recording studio sessions in the Miami area. Follow Raymond: Instagram | Facebook